The world of our dreams is a sort of virtual reality of our subconscious. In our dreams, we can do whatever we want, with no limits of personal or physical holdbacks. Dream is a subjective experience of imaginary visions and feelings while we sleep. In our dreams, we are super focused in the story, and while our brain dives deeper and deeper, an unbiased experience is born, unlike while we are wide awake. The dream is composed from parts of reality, and together they are creating a manipulation of familiar and unfamiliar things that creates a virtual reality. In this existence, we can let go of the real world limits and bring ourselves to a new reality. The new world that was created, resembles the process of "guided imagination" when we are capable to imagine a different reality from the current one (although we lack of control in our dreams). The dream actually can set us free from reality limitations and to put body and soul as one. This idea led me to a research with Parkinson patients in "Rambam Hospital" (in Israel). Patients who had treatments of “guided imagination” was reporting a new sense of freedom, movement and control on their bodies. Reading this research led me think about creating a hospital for handicap patients. The structure will help people to express in imaginative way a situation which is the best for them, both physically and mentally. The building will show the collaboration between the current physical reality and the virtual reality. In this process, the mind will actually react to what happens in the virtual reality, just as it reacts in the current reality and the body will follow up. The physiological activities during the dream will enhance the dream feelings, as the new existence dose.
According to 2017 statistics, U.S is among the countries who have the highest rate of disable people. The decision about settling the hospital in the depth of Summerville lake (West Virginia) is because this state has the highest percentage of handicaps in US (19.4% vs 12.6% as the rest of US). (ACS).
In our daily life, our movement is linear, while the movement in the handicap patient hospital is twisted & abstract. The circulation in the hospital aligns with the dreams circulation, with no gravitation while being able to be in more than just one place - in the same time. The movement inside the structure completely blends with the treatment spaces. The movement, like the structure, is abstract and has natural vibes, so a person that has limited motoring capabilities can move around the space and feel his body flow. The surrealistic treatment rooms enhance a free feeling inside a person, when a new reality is being created inside his body and contributes to his/her condition. The hospital enables patients to focus on different personal stories, while altered from the normal narrative, which was built in until now.The mechanism & the lighting of the structure in the water, was planned according to the values of the dream. The purpose was to create a special light similar to the one in a dream, which in most cases is very gentle.
The goal of the project is to form a mysterious place, with inner world which isn't visible to the human eye. The dialogue which appears between the inner space to the outer space (with is mostly water) enhance the feel that an alternative reality exists.
Led by: Yehoshua Gutman and Tamar Levinger.